Yellowstone County News was awarded Yellowstone County’s legal advertising contract by Yellowstone County Commissioners on Tuesday in a unanimous vote. read more
Oct182019
Jul172019
Crash claims another life on Hwy 312
Emergency Medical Services Personnel are reponding and attending to multiple injuries at a crash along hwy 312 and road 8 in Worden. (Jonathan McNiven Photo)
Two vehicles were involved in a T-bone collision just after 3pm on Wednesday, July 17thon Highway 312 and Road 8 in Worden with Montana Highway Patrol confirming at least one fatality and multiple serious injuries resulting from the accident. Help Flight was dispatched and MHP blocked off a large section of 312 in both directions while read more
May142019
OFFICIAL 2019 BEST OF YELLOWSTONE COUNTY WINNERS
Well Folks, the ballots are in and we have some winners! Actually, we have 40 winners to be exact plus my Editor’s Choice Award winner that we will be announcing in next week’s edition of Yellowstone County News. Thank you for your patience and to all the readers and voters that participated in the process. We’ll be announcing even more things to come in the near future so keep your eyes glued to your paper as those announcements come to light.
Until then, Congrats to the winners of the Best of Yellowstone County Awards from our readers and subscribers.
JDM
Auto Repair/Auto Body – Blue Body and Paint
Bank or Credit Union – Stockman Bank
Car Dealership – Hertz Car Sales
Chiropractor – Heights Walk In Chiropractic
Dry Cleaner – Valet Today Cleaners
Farm & Ranch Supplier – Shipton’s Big R
Floral Shop – Evergreen IGA
Grocer/Grocery Store – Albertsons
Hair/ Beauty Salon – JJ’s Hair Fashion
Funeral Home – Smiths Funeral Chapels
Jeweler – Gold Smith Gallery
Child Care Center – Kountry Kare
Sporting Goods – Scheels
Home Furnishing – UFS Used Furniture Store
Tattoo & Body Piercing – Eagle Tattoo
Law Firm/Attorney – Crowley Fleck Law Firm
General Contractor – Langlas & Associates
Local Insurance Agent – Frontier Insurance, Ed Melcher
Landscaping – Good Earth Works
Sewer Services – Anderson Sewer
Electrician – Taylor Electric
Professional Photography – 406 Memories
House Keeping/Cleaning – Becky Carlson- Billings
Real Estate Agent – Chantale Hale EXP Realty
Steakhouse – Feedlot Steakhouse
American Restaurant – Bull Mountain Grill
Mexican Restaurant – Guadalajara
Asian Restaurant – Grand Garden
Health Care Provider – St. V’s Dr. Nichols
Alternative Health Care – Yellowstone Naturalpathic
Dentist – Prill Dentistry
Veterinarian – Lockwood Vet Dr. Jody Anderson
Massage Therapy – Chantel Hale
Gym – YMCA
Golf Course – Pryor Creek Golf Course
Museum – Yellowstone Art Museum
Educator – Cindy Sundheim, Shepherd Schools
Mar222019
Best of Yellowstone County ballots are in! Awards coming!
Well, Folks, it’s been a whirlwind of a week as there is so much going on that I don’t have enough time to get it all done.
However, here are a couple things to be aware of. The Best of Yellowstone County Awards has finished and we will hopefully announce those winners in the next week or two so stay tuned. read more
Mar222019
CodeRED is active
CodeRED is active
Yellowstone County’s emergency services are fully operational as participants of CodeRED. Now, to make the emergency alert system completely effective for the county requires the participation of citizens by downloading the CodeRed app.
The county’s Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator, KC Williams, explained that the focus of area emergency services leaders is to get the word out to get as many people as possible to register with CodeRED which will make notifications of emergency situations more effective than ever. In that effort they will be explaining the system to high school students, who will hopefully carry the information home to their parents and grandparents, he said.
There is no charge to get the app, and once registered on a land line or mobile telephone number it will notify the recipient of all alerts within a 25 mile radius – alerts regarding weather, missing persons and all kinds of other emergency situations.
The Yellowstone County CodeRed Emergency Notification System provides the public with the ability to receive voice, test and /or email notifications generated by government and public safety officials.
To register for the service (app) go to http:// www. co. yellowstone .mt.gov / des/
For assistance call the Yellowstone County Emergency Management Information Line at 406 256-2775.
Apr262024
Justice Prevails, Pam Ellis Back on Board, Ming Cabrera Needs to Resign
Well, well, well, as you can see on the front page of our newspaper, the day of reckoning has come, and Pam Ellis won her case and the CURRENT Heights Water Board agreed to pay some attorney fees as well as place Ellis back on the board as the judge ruled in her and the county’s favor.
If you don’t remember, I’ll take you back in time when this episode of the Heights Water and Sewer District soap opera evolved when Ming Cabrera, Laura Drager, and David Graves were elected onto the Heights Water Board some years ago, and Ming Cabrera was then elected as the head of the board as chairman.
Well, I was fed a big bowl of whiplash as Ming took that entity as the Chairman and ran it even farther down the drain (Yes, pun intended) in the public’s eye as I gave him a chance to turn things around.
YCN originally came onto the scene in covering and following the Heights Water and Sewer District meetings because there were questions from the public as well as board members about how stuff was being done from management, staff as well as a district in general. In fact, there were some that said things were being done illegally and questioned how job bids, procedures, meeting minutes and notices, meeting agendas and meetings in general were conducted. The whole premise of YCN being at those meetings was to document what happened at those meetings as well as report what happened. I feel that is how we as a media and journalists can do our job in reporting and documenting the meetings as well as feature concerns and questions that affect the public, taxpayers and members of our communities while holding elected officials accountable. Overtime, if elected officials are doing things incorrectly, it will read more
Apr262024
Andersson Named GM for Water District; Board Fires Benefits Vendor
The Heights County Water District Board (CWDB) has offered the position of General Manager to Allan “Bo” Andersson of Cambridge, New York. At their regular monthly meeting last Wednesday, the board voted unanimously to offer Andersson a contract.
CWDB President Doug Kary said that Andersson received the highest score in the board’s interviews and evaluations of candidates. The board is offering him $100,000 a year in their proposed contract.
Andersson is a retired business owner, who retired in 2021 as the president and chief executive officer of Flomatic Corp., following a 52-year career.
As the board dealt with other issues read more
Apr262024
Hopefully They Will be Kind Taskmasters
Dear Editor:
I see that Huntley Project Schools has decided to throw in the towel on education moving to a four-day school week. I agree with Tim Ley not being convinced that this is in the best interest of students. In fact, this is part of a further degradation in rigor in our public schools in general. I was one of the better students in my day, but I was really unprepared fully for college at a serious university as a freshman. I would like to know how education levels and higher expectations of achievement in real subjects like reading, writing, and arithmetic are enhanced by these types of changes. I doubt they are.
When I was a professor in New Jersey and listened to all the complaining American students about the homework required and the actual education that was needed, I decided to teach the point. In my class were several Asian students. Some were from Korea and a few from China. I asked the Asians read more
Apr262024
Vote to Increase Your Freedom and Vote for Mike Vinton
Dear Editor,
It’s that time in the election cycle where you, the voter, will head to a search engine to determine the best primary candidate. Hopefully, I can save some homework time for you by endorsing Mike Vinton for House District 40. I have known Mike for just shy of a decade and at every turn I appreciate his hard work and straightforward candor. It is rare to find a truly read more
Apr262024
Stop the Expansion of County Government
Dear Editor,
Stop the Expansion of County Government
I recently read with great interest that John Staley, a candidate for Yellowstone County Commission, supports a five-member board of county commissioners, up from the current three members. How wrongheaded.
Back in the 1980s, it was decided by the Board that over a six-year period, which is also the length of a commissioner term, each would serve two years as the chair of the commission, regardless of party. This working arrangement has served well for almost 40 years. Imagine with a bloated five-member commission all of the horse trading of support and backroom deals as they all fight for position and chair responsibilities.
This would not increase representation. Quite the opposite. Right now, removing one member through the ballot box can bring about real change. Not so with five members. Increasing the board will just lead to more read more
Apr262024
THANK YOU to Yellowstone County Works Department
Dear Editor,
A huge THANK YOU to Yellowstone County Works Department and Knife River, for repaving and improving Chicago Road. It is read more
Apr262024
I Want to Give School District 2 Voters Some Things to Consider
Dear Editor,
As someone who wonders if the continual rise of MT property taxes will one day make our home unaffordable, I want to give School District 2 voters some things to consider prior to voting on the safety levy. Ballots will be mailed out soon.
We will be asked to vote on the safety levy for schools, which is a perpetual levy that will only end IF the trustees one day decide we have enough funding and will vote to end it. Who believes that would ever happen? I do not feel this detail has been shared transparently enough to voters.
This levy will fund salaries for mental health counselors due to an i read more
Apr262024
After Moses Endorsed One of the Candidates, I Knew for Sure I Needed to Vote for That Candidate’s Opponent
Dear Editor,
I wish to thank Karen Lazetich Moses for her letter to the editor. I have been mostly unsuccessful in getting info on the two candidates from my district running for School Board. But after Moses endorsed one of the candidates, I knew for sure I needed to vote for that candidate’s opponent, Jennifer Hoffman.
Moses made it obvious she has either never read the Montana Constitution, or if she has read it, she has no comprehension of what it says. Moses applauds the Montana Supreme Court for legislating from the bench. Not only does our constitution not even suggest that the legislature can control the weather, but it also does NOT give the Supreme Court the authority to make legislation. The Montana Supreme Court has instructed the legislature to control the weather. Have you ever heard of anything so silly? If the Supreme Court members want to be legislators, then they need to resign from the court and run for the legislature.
Moses then went on to unjustly attack many of our read more
Apr262024
Local Librarian Authors First of Series Children’s Books
Front cover of the newly released book “Abby the Antelope” that brings out the creative, family-loving personality and character of a young antelope determined to stand out from the herd. This book authored by Edie Vogel and illustrated by Sarah Broesdor is the first of a series called Montana’s Captivating Character. (courtesy image)
After 10 years of sitting in rough draft form, “Abby, the Antelope” has come to life and her character is now available for parents, readers and lovers of children’s books. Loosely inspired by her baby sister Abby, Edie Vogel of Worden has published the first of her Montana series of children’s books called “Montana’s Captivating Characters.” The books are all Montana based creatures, characters or animals and she will “bring them to life with fun stories and personalities and each character has a little quandary, a little challenge in life that they navigate and figure out.”
“I call children’s books everybody’s books because I think everybody enjoys them,” Vogel said in an interview with Yellowstone County News this week.
In her first book at 32 pages, Abby, the Antelope is a story of a young antelope who wants to distinguish herself because all antelope look the same. Abby lives on the Montana prairie with her family and is determined to stand out from the herd.
“So many life lessons are found in children’s books, so that was my kind of hope with this book in just showing a lovely message for families; it’s a great way for parents to communicate with their kids about some of life’s challenges we navigate read more
Apr262024
Shepherd AD Retracts her Resignation, Board supports AAU proposal for possible AAU Building Location.
After a more than a month of swirling questions over Athletic Director Tina Downing’s status of her resignation on March 12th (which was published in the March 15th edition of YCN), and Russ Hale pulling his application for High School Head Football Coach, Tina Downing clarified the confusion at the April monthly board meeting.
“During this whole football situation, I turned in a letter of resignation to Mrs. O’Donnell on the 12th of March. She asked that I take some time to think about it. I have done a lot of thinking and a lot of soul searching, and I will tell you it came down to a conversation with read more
Apr262024
I found Chief Staley to be combative
Dear Editor,
I currently serve as your Yellowstone County Commissioner, District 2 (East). While every citizen has the right to decide who to vote for, it helps to have good information in order to make informed decisions. I am writing to provide relevant information concerning the upcoming June primary contest between Mike Waters and John Staley for the open seat on the Yellowstone County Commission.
In 2011, right after Lockwood Fire Board hired John Staley as Fire Chief, I was appointed to the Lockwood Fire Board (LFB). I found Chief Staley to be combative whenever his authority was questioned. After openly challenging Staley on his financial transactions as Fire Chief, I did not seek re-election to LFB.
For FY2024, then Chief Staley assessed taxpayers 163 mills which is 21.69 mills above the inflation adjusted (@2.46%) State of Montana calculated mills of 141.31. These extra 21.69 mills cost Lockwood taxpayers a completely unnecessary $374,849. Recently, your read more
Apr252024
Shepherd School Approves 6th Graders to Play Junior High Football
In a special board meeting this week, Shepherd’s Elementary Board members voted to allow 6th graders to join the junior high football program this fall. Josh Casares, the new Head Football Coach who was hired last week for the high school team spoke to the board about his concerns as being on the job for now a week overseeing the school’s football program. “I understand the vision on why we want to do it, but my concern is there’s not many read more
Apr252024
County Responds to City’s Offer On Temporary Holding Facility
In advancing the agreement between the city and the county in the building of a short-term holding facility (STHF), the County Commissioners responded this week to the Billings City Council’s offer in February to contribute a total of $2 million to the cost.
The temporary holding facility will be built to hold inmates for only 72 hours. It is viewed as a read more
Apr252024
Anderson Sewer Services Sells after 40 Years Under Original Owner
March 22 marked the first day that Matt and his wife Brittany Carter took over Anderson Sewer Services as the new owners. Matt and Brittany Carter purchased the well-known business based out of Shepherd from longtime read more
Apr202024
Dr. Garcia, SD2 Superintendent, Will Provide Voters With a Presentation
Dear Editor,
Dr. Garcia, SD2 Superintendent, will provide voters with a presentation describing the Safety Mill Levy and how funds will be spent on April 23 at 5:30 pm in the Billings Public Library. The program will be broadcast on Community Seven and available on Facebook and YouTube.
The needs for providing school safety have been changing and not in a good way. School shootings, student suicide, video gaming and social media have all played a role in desensitizing students to the use of read more
Apr192024
Signal Peak Closure Would Mean Loss of 260 Jobs
Signal Peak Coal Mine near Roundup is “in jeopardy”, President and CEO of Signal Peak, Parker Phipps, told Yellowstone County Commissioners last week. And, if it is in jeopardy, so are the jobs of its 260 workers – two thirds of which live in Yellowstone County. And, so are the approximately $211 million in taxes the company paid over the past three years to Yellowstone and Mussellshell Counties.
Mining operations will have to cease at the end of 2025, given the decree from US District Judge Donald Malloy, said Phipps. Judge Malloy issued an order in February 2023 prohibiting any expansion of the mine onto federal land, until another environmental impact study is done, as well as an analysis of impacts of greenhouse gases.
Not only does the suspension of its permit to mine federal coal impact the expansion into federal coal areas, but it blocks access to areas in which there is state coal deposits. “A lot of the coal is not federal coal,” said Phipps.
A report in Yellowstone County News from a year ago, stated that the Judge ruled the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) made “sufficiently serious” errors in their original analysis of Signal Peak’s expansion. The Enforcement Office “did not account for the emissions generated by coal combustion, obscuring and grossly understating the magnitude of the Mine Expansion’s emissions relative to other sources of greenhouse gases.”
Judge Malloy said that the additional studies shouldn’t take more than two years, but as that time frame diminishes and no study has been done, Signal Peak has filed suit against OSM. Phipps said “It’s difficult for me to believe that the office can’t get their work done in a timely fashion . . . it appears almost intentional.”
County Commissioner John Ostlund said he read more
Apr192024
Lockwood Board Names Don Christman New Superintendent
At a special meeting of the Lockwood School Board, following a day of tours, social gatherings and interviews, board members unanimously chose Don Christman as the new Superintendent of Lockwood Schools.
Contending candidates were Leland Stocky, Ashland, and Don Christman, Lockwood.
Board member, Josh Skidmore, made the motion to extend the offer to Christman through the Montana School Board Association, which has assisted the board in its year-long search for a Superintendent. The motion was seconded by board member Sylvia Noble. In a second motion they approved offering Christman a three-year contract with an annual salary of read more
Apr192024
Governor Extends Deadline for Property Tax Relief Programs
Montana property taxpayers have been granted an extension, to June 1, in the deadline to apply for two property tax relief programs.
Governor Greg Gianforte said he is extending the deadline to give Montanans with a substantial hardship time to apply for relief.
The extension applies to the Property Tax Assistance Program (PTAP) and the Montana Disabled Veterans (MDV) Property Tax Assistance Program, which were initially set for April 15.
Gov. Gianforte said that he worked with the state read more
Apr192024
Ellis to Remain on County Water District Board Following Court Decision that Board Lacked Authority to Remove Her
Following a closed session of the County Water District board, last Wednesday, Board President Doug Kary announced that the board had unanimously agreed to accept a settlement offer from Pam Ellis and Yellowstone County.
The County Water District accepted the defendants’ offer that the district pay for $9500 of the defendants’ legal costs and to agree that Pam Ellis may rejoin as a member of the board to complete her term to the end of 2024.
Members at the board meeting on Wednesday were Doug Kary and Frank Ewalt, and Jeff Essmann, who attended virtually.
On Friday court documents were filed dismissing a read more
Apr192024
MT Senate President Invites Public to Serve on New Judicial Select Committee
Members of the public are invited to serve on the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform, according to a news release last Friday from the Montana Legislature.
Senate President Jason Ellsworth (R-Hamilton) said on April 2, he is forming the committee to “look into overreach by Montana judges and develop solutions to restore the separation of powers among Montana’s three branches of government.”
“The Legislature is the branch of government closest to the people, so I’d love to have the people participate directly in this committee,” said Ellsworth. “If you have good insights to offer the Legislature as we look for reforms to address Montana’s out-of-control courts, please consider read more
